Lance Zierlein's Z-report
Demaryius Thomas trade helps Texans now and later
Oct 31, 2018, 11:20 am
The Texans sucked…. and then they didn’t. Like that, the Texans went from a three game losing streak to a five game winning streak and for the first time all season, the offense exploded with big performances on the ground and through the air.
With the way the AFC South is trending, it is very apparent that this is the Texans division to lose and they showed before the trade deadline that they have no desire to let that happen. With Will Fuller out for the year with an ACL tear, the Texans made a move that should help them this year and might be an important move for the near future.
The move for now
Will Fuller’s mere presence on the field is extremely important to the Texans offense because his speed alters how defenses can align against the Texans. When Fuller is on the field, safeties have to respect his speed and that forces safeties off the line of scrimmage which helps the running game. Fuller also has the ability to stretch the field and hit “chunk plays” down the field which is a key element in the Texans offense going from pedestrian to explosive.
While Demaryius Thomas doesn’t have the same speed as Will Fuller (and isn’t as good a player at this juncture of his career), he is still a big body with the ability to compete for the deep ball against smaller cornerbacks. It’s also worth noting that Thomas is a quality blocker in the running game and can help spring the wide-flowing run plays to his side.
The Texans had to make a move. They had to. They have no real wide receiver depth and they needed to find a respectable target that defenses had to respect opposite DeAndre Hopkins. Fuller wasn’t a big, physical receiver, but Thomas is and that could also help with the success rate in the redzone for the Texans.
The move for later
Can the Texans trust Will Fuller’s health? In order, starting from his rookie season, Fuller has missed, 2, 6, and now 9 games (by season’s end). Fuller isn’t a big guy so worrying about how he holds up to the physical nature of the game is obviously a concern. The bigger concerns might be that these soft tissue injuries are creeping in every year and can be re-aggravated.
We all love what Fuller has brought to the table as an explosive target and his substantially improved hands were one of the best stories of the year. By giving up a fourth round pick, the Texans appear to be ready to take on Thomas for the near future. Thomas will cost the Texans $14M next year if they want him to play out his contract. Or, they could look to give him a contract extension of two or three years and lower that base contract.
Don’t get me wrong, the Texans could let Thomas walk after this year, but I can’t see them giving up a 4th round pick for a rental player. With Thomas on the team next season, you have a strong four-man rotation with KeKe Coutee, Fuller, Thomas, Hopkins when all are healthy, and you still have a good two-man tandem when Coutee and Fuller are out again.
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!